Tom's phone rang about five minuets later. Glancing at the caller ID his beautiful features broke into a grimsnce.
" I have to get this. If I don't I would be in a lot of trouble." He took a deep breath and answered it. " Luke-" the poor man didn't even get to finish his sentence.
" Where the hell are you, I've been trying to call you for the last eighteen hours and now there's pictures of you floating around making out with some woman on the street! Don't even get me started on the fact the the press is already having a field day with these photos! What the hell makes you think that it would be OK? You couldn't even get me a heads up? No. Instead you go off the grid all goddamn day. Just get your ass to my office and we'll sort all of this out." Luke was shouting and I could hear every word.
" I will be there as soon as I can."
"Ten minutes Tom otherwise I'm going to let you sort this out on your own. " He hung up.
" I'll drive you home. I am so sorry. How much of that did you hear?"
" All of it. Tom don't worry about it I don't want you to get into any more trouble than you're already in. "
"I promise you won't get me in any more trouble." I shook my head and kissed his cheek.
" I'll see you later Tom." With that I wandered away left alone with my thoughts. After getting on the tube I stood and let my mind wander.
What if Luke makes Tom break up with me? Tom wouldn't do that, would he? Maybe, maybe I'll just be another fling. Maybe my mother was right this whole thing is out of pity. God why was my mother always worming her way into my mind. How is it even after five years of living on my own without her help she can always find a way to belittle me and make me feel like I'm two inches tall. It's not fair that someone can have control over my life like that. All I want to do is live my life in peace and not have my mother's constant nagging in my head.
I got off the tube at my stop and walked the twenty feet to my place, Anne was sitting on the front steps, looking very uncomfortable and very pregnant.
"Don't sit like that. It can't be good for your back." Helping her stand was a chore. Anne is my best friend and at the time she was seven months pregnant with her first child.
"I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm a grown woman."
"You're a hormonal woman." I reminded her as she waddled inside.
"Where the hell have you been by the way. I have important information regarding my child and you were not here to share my excitement."
"I'm sorry, you know that date that I had last night?" She nodded, "well it kinda continued into this afternoon. We had an amazing time but the he got called into a meeting and had to cut the day short." I handed her a bowl of ice cream.
"I didn't ask for this."
"You didn't have too." I haven't told Anne who I was seeing because she would not approve of me dating celebrity. I'm not even sure I approve of my current relationship with a celebrity.
"Earth to Emma, I asked you a question."
"I'm sorry Anne, what was it?"
"Is this mystery man that saved you from depression last week and rescued Charlie from God knows what?" I nodded. "So are you guys exclusive now or what? He made you dinner last night and kept you out for most of the day today. Honey, you're dating. If he says you're not then I'm going to have to have a few choice words with him." She had finished her ice cream and set the bowl on the table. "What is mystery mans name?"
"You haven't told your friend what his name is. Emma honey you need to treat your friends with a little more respect otherwise you will lose the only good thing you have in this life." my mother was standing in the doorway of my living room.
"Mother, impeccable timing as always." She acted as though she hadn't heard me.
"Don't worry Anne dear, Emma can't hold down a decent man anyway. This one was more of a pity date than anything. How's the baby coming along dear, are you getting enough rest, is my daughter making sure that everything is going alright because God knows she won't give me a grandchild before I die. The lease she can do is help someone out that will be a great mother." I counted to ten in my head. She liked Anne better than me. Why I don't know or particularly care. I was more worried about the insults she was indirectly throwing at me.
"Mother, how did you get in here. I had the locks changed. Again."
"Do you honestly think that you can keep a mother out of her only child's life, I don't think so." She turned her back on me again. "Now when I was pregnant with my disappointment of a daughter over there I found that laying in my side versus my back was more comfortable." I got up to put the bowls in the sink. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I glanced at it quickly.
Hey I'm sorry for what happened earlier, I sorted everything out. The pictures have stopped circulating for the most part. I just want to make sure you made it home safe. Text me back as soon as you can. -Tom
I smiled a little bit before being snapped back into reality.
"You see can't even spend five minuets before looking at that damned phone. It's not like she can afford a good one. I don't know how or why she spends so much time on it. The only two people she ever talks to is currently in this room." Anne was beginning to look very uncomfortable with my mothers topic of discussion.
"Why are you here? Not that I don't love when you're here, you usually only come visit when you want something." I had to change the subject quickly.
"Well, you're fathers will had been finalized and I came to drop off what has been left to you. To be honest his will has been done for over a week I just didnt want to come into the city just to see you."
"Wonderful." I muttered under my breath, only Anne caught it.
"He had originally left you his entire book collection but you already know what I've decided to do with that. Besides you don't have a place to put anything. This place is barely considered a closet, let alone a place to live." My flat wasn't very big but it was my home. There was a small entry way that led into a living room/ dining room area,the kitchen was separated by a small wall. From the entry way there was also a small hallway that led off to the bedroom and the bathroom. It's not as small as my mother is making it out to be but compared to our three bedroom house with two floors; my one floor flat did seem rather small.
"So you mean to tell me that I have been removed from the will?" I was angry and mortified to the point where I eaither wanted to scream at the top of my lungs or just be silent for the rest of my life. I was opting for the quiter of the two options. Anne semed to notice my change in mood and looked ready to restrain me if she needed to.
"No, of course not. Do you know how bad that would make me look? I would never do that to myself. He also left you this stupid shoe box. I didnt open it becuase knowing your father there's nothing of value in there anyways." She held out the box, acting as though she was doing me a favor by giving it to me. I took it from her hands carefully then looked up at her.
"Thank you. Now get out." She looked like she wanted to add somehting but the look I gave her told her that would not be the greatest idea. She made it all the way to the front door, with me standing in the doorway of the living room watching her, before she paused again. She just turned, gave me a sad look then walked out of my life for a while. I wouldn't talk to her for almost a year after that moment and that year would simultaniously be the best and worst year of my life.
I returned to Anne and sat the shoe box down gently on the table and placed my self in the chair. Anne stared at me while I stared intently on the box, my mind racing as to what could be in there. We sat like that for almost tewnty minuets before I felt the need to say something.
"This box is from the shoes I wore when I graduated from university. I was impressed that he had snuck them in the house and had them hidden for almost a week before he gave them to me. I still wear them from time to time. I wore them on my first date with Tom." I looked at her and she shook her head, standing and stretching before wandering into the kitchen. I stared suriously after her before she came back with a bottle of wine a glass.
"You my friend need to get drunk and go throught this box and tell me more about this Tom charecter." She uncorked the bottle and handed me the glass. I set the glass on the ground and reached for the bottle. "Fair enough." She handed me the bottle and I took a large swig before going to open the box.
It took me a little bit to open said box but I finally managec to get it open with the help of a pair of scissors. Inside was an assortment of papers. The one that caught my eye first was an envelope made out of beautiful paper. I pulled it out and flipped it over to find my name written on the front. I opned the encelope carefully, as to not rip the paper. Inside was a rather long letter wirtten by my father.
Emma,
If you're reading this that means I have passed. I hope that I died peacefully in my sleep or in a major explosion. That would be quite the story woudln't it? 'Local Man Dies in Freak Explosion.' The neighbors would be taking about it for weeks. They can't keep their nose out of anything. I know that this is going to suck for a while and I know that you're mother is not going to make things easy for you for a while but I know that you'll work through it. She's going to need more time to grieve then you are becuase you are stonger than her . I hope that when I pass I will be missed by thousands of twitter followers and most importantly you. I hope that I could live to see my beautiful baby girl married. Or happy. Or whatever she wants to be. I hope I lived to see then end of World War Three: Emma versus Jenine. I hope I lived to see you win a nobel prize or something. I hope I lived to see hover cars and robtic bodies, but if I did you wouldnt be reading this. Do you know how cool a robotic body would be? I would be first in line to have one.
I'm writing this the night after you graduated university. The 'selfie' we took together this moring is in the box somewhere. Thats what all the cool kids say now right? I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. So does your mother. Trust me on that. I want you to be the bigger person but I know you wont becuase you have your mothers pride. I want you to follow some advice though.
1- You're mother loves you very much, she just got hurt by someone and doesnt want to get close to anyone and why she is so cross with me all of the time. Ask her sometime about what happened when she was in her third trimester wirth you.
2- Do whatever the heck you want in life, if you want to work in that movie theater, do it to the best of your ability. If you want to work in central London as a colomist then do it. If you want to become a hobo then go for it. Let nothing stop you on your way to what you think is succesful.
3-Get married to whomever you want.I don't care what your mother says.
4-Just do what makes you happy. That's what I did and I ended up with a pretty awesome kid and an amazing wife, although some may not see it.
Remember, I love you and no matter what I will always be thre for you. All you have to do is call.
Love, Dad
I knew I was crying but I didn't bother wiping away the tears. I looked up and Anne had been reading over my shoulder the enitre time.
"How are you feeling kiddo?" She asked. I shook my head but responded with a classic line.
"I'm fine. Dont wory about it." Anne has known me long enough to know that that really means 'everything hurts and I don't know how to fix it and I dont want to be a bother to anyone.' She hugged me akwardly around the baby bump.
My cell phone rang some where behind the box and Anne answered it.
"Emma's phone, Anne speaking." She paused for a moment and pursed her lips. "Well I don't think that Emma is any postion to answer a phone right now." Another pause. "No she's fine, just having some closure."
'Who is it?' I mouthed.
'Tom.' She mouthed back. "Well I don't care how important you think this is, she needs a little bit to compse herself before she can even think about speaking to anyone." I reached for the phone, a small smile playing on my lips. Anne handed me the phone as Tom was mid sentence.
"I don't care. I need to know that she's ok, i need to hear her voice."
"Don't worry Tom." I could lierally hear Tom's sigh of relief.
"Oh my God, Emma, how are you whats wrong? Can I do anyting?" I felt a new round of tears start up but I heald them back.
"I finally got what my father had left to me in his will, well most of it anyways. I'm just getting some much needed closure that's all. What's up?"
"I hate to pile on the bad news but I have to go to New York first thing tomorrow."
"I thougt..."
"So did I but between my maneger and my publicist they seem to have every intent of ruining my personal life." He tried to joke but it didn't lighten my mood.
"What are we going to do?"
"Would it be to forward of me to ask you to come with me?"
"Tom, our relationship isn't ready for a step like that and I would assume that you would be working the whole time anyways and I would be alone in the hotel room the entire time. I just don't think that me going with you would be a good idea. Not to mention that I just can't uproot myself and fly across an ocean. My best friend is abot to pop and I can't just leave her. Also, you know respomsibilities with Charlie and work and what have you."
"I understand."
"Don't sound so sad Tom."
"I didn't mean to. You're the one that seems to be crying love."
'What the hell? Oh yeah, I suposse I am crying. Well, shit.' I thought. "Don't worry about me have fun in New York."
"Alright. Do you want me to come over?"
"No, I think Anne has it handeled. Talk to you later." I hung up on him ad began sobbing.
"Emma, honey what's wrong now?"
"He has to go to New York for work and I told him I couldnt go. He wants me to go. I dont want him to go and that's selfish of me but I want him to stay here with me." She hugged me again and this time didnt let go. Anne sat me down on the couch with her. I eventually stopped crying and spent the remander of the evening nursing the half empty bottle of wine.
Anne eventually waddled home when her husband came to pick her up. I went to bed crying for the first time in a few weeks, reeling in my fathers death again after I thought I had made some progress.
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A/N: Hey guys, I've been working on this one for a while and here it is. Alright, next chapter will be up tomorrow, I promise because I have an idea and it will be in Tom's point of view. Please read 'Living Without You' and 'Meeting David Tennant'.